Physiotherapists in Brentwood treat many different conditions including the issues profiled below.

Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury

The anterior cruciate ligament is one of the four major ligaments of the knee joint and controls the forward and backward movement of the tibia on the femur as well as exerting rotatory control. It is a commonly injured structure especially in contact sports such as football or rugby but also in other activities where momentum is involved such as skiing. Injury usually follows an inward pressure on the knee combined with a rotation with the foot planted on the ground, with the sufferer often feeling or hearing a clear pop in the knee accompanied by significant pain.

Cruciate ligament rupture is almost always followed by the knee swelling up significantly in a few minutes as the injury bleeds into the knee. The acutely painful knee is managed by physiotherapists with ice, compression, bracing and gentle range of movement as soon as practical. Once the knee has settled from its acute stage it can be assessed for competence of the ligament. A cruciate deficient knee is usually unstable on rapid movement and turning and is often listed for reconstructive surgery. Physiotherapists rehabilitate the knee before the surgery to give the patient the best chance of coping with the long period of rehabilitation required post-operatively.

Whiplash Syndrome

Whiplash syndrome is typically the result of low velocity car crashes. Usually affecting the neck, whiplash can also affect the lumbar spine as it is almost fully flexed in sitting, allowing the spine to be over flexed by even a small further movement. Most tissues in the neck can be injured in a rear shunt collision but the evidence points to facet joint injury as being the most likely cause of chronic pain and disability. Any warning about the impact can result in the individual tightening up the stabilising muscles around the spine but also increases the forces compressing the spine at the same time. This could allow the discs and vertebrae themselves to be damaged in a compressive injury.

If there is no warning of the accident then there will be no protective muscle contractions to prevent spinal injury, with the posterior ligaments taking stress as the head is bent forward and the posterior bony elements impinging as the head is bent back. The exact position of the head at the moment of impact is also important as if it is rotated then the structures can suffer a rotational injury which could involve the facet joints.